colors, glaring lights, blurred motion.
“Oh!” I said, suddenly remembering. “I have a present for you. Wait right here.”
I ran inside before he could say anything. When I came back out I was carrying a 24x24 canvas with the image pressed against my chest.
Kellen’s brow pinched. “Jenna, you know I don’t do well with gifts.”
“But I didn’t buy it. I made it. I painted it for you.”
His face cleared as a grin spread over his lips. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Here.”
When I turned it around so he could see the painting, my heart was in my throat. I felt so nervous I thought I’d vomit. I rarely showed my art to anyone. It was scary but exciting and I knew if anyone would understand it, it was Kellen.
As his eyes focused on the canvas, his face went blank. There was nothing there. No hatred, no love. Nothing. I’d seen him get that expression before with Laney or my mom and it made my heart sink out of my throat, down through my stomach and collapse in a puddle on the ground.
“You don’t like it,” I said quietly.
He shook his head, never taking his eyes off the painting. “No, Jenna, I do. I love it. It’s… it’s incredible.”
I smiled. “Really?”
He scoffed. “Yeah, really. You are so talented it’s ridiculous. And this… this is me?” He looked up at me then, his eyes latching on mine and recovering my heart from the ground. “This is how you see me?”
“Yeah. When you’re fighting, Kellen, it’s so… I don’t know. Powerful. It’s like me in this dress, I guess. It’s so you. ”
“Wow.” He looked at the painting again. “Thank you.”
I beamed at him. “You’re welcome.”
What I’d put on that canvas was what I’d seen that first time I watched him fight. I’d seen him do it countless times since then, going to his matches whenever dad could sneak me away, but that first time had always stuck with me. So I put it out there in an image of a man standing tall, looking down at me from the center of the ring. A light was shining behind his head, shadowing his face into near obscurity, but the eyes were there. The dark, intense eyes that were always watching. Always focused. The gloves, the shorts, the ropes behind him, they were all bursts of vibrant colors but his entire body was blurred. It was shaking, vibrating with power and energy. With life dying to explode out of him through the brightly colored gloves or the muted red shoes at his feet. He was stationary but the entire image was bursting with energy. With strength.
With Kellen.
“Shit, I can’t take it home on my bike,” he muttered, still looking at it.
I shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ll put it back in the house and Laney can bring it up to you the next time she visits.”
“Do we trust her with it?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Good point. I’ll mail it to you.”
He nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”
I turned to head back into the house. When I got to the door, he called out to me.
“Hey. Seriously, Jenna, thank you for that. I’ve never—I don’t know what to say. It’s probably the best present I’ve ever gotten in my life.”
I chuckled, feeling embarrassed. “Don’t go overboard.”
“I can’t, not about that. I’ll never—I… Thank you. I’ll never be able to tell you how much I love it.”
“Well, you’ve got your whole life to try.”
Dad came outside to join us not long after that. We all waited patiently for Laney and mom and when they finally appeared, the guys whistled appreciatively. They looked beautiful. Both of them with perfectly coifed golden hair, long fitted dresses that hugged their every curve and the kind of confidence in high heels that I’d never manage to achieve. They were red carpet perfect and even though I felt a little out of place in my red dress standing beside their cream and gold, I was happy.
“Do you like my dress?” Laney asked Kellen at dinner.
He nodded. “I do. You look beautiful.”
“It’s my Prom dress,” she
“Oh!” I said, suddenly remembering. “I have a present for you. Wait right here.”
I ran inside before he could say anything. When I came back out I was carrying a 24x24 canvas with the image pressed against my chest.
Kellen’s brow pinched. “Jenna, you know I don’t do well with gifts.”
“But I didn’t buy it. I made it. I painted it for you.”
His face cleared as a grin spread over his lips. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. Here.”
When I turned it around so he could see the painting, my heart was in my throat. I felt so nervous I thought I’d vomit. I rarely showed my art to anyone. It was scary but exciting and I knew if anyone would understand it, it was Kellen.
As his eyes focused on the canvas, his face went blank. There was nothing there. No hatred, no love. Nothing. I’d seen him get that expression before with Laney or my mom and it made my heart sink out of my throat, down through my stomach and collapse in a puddle on the ground.
“You don’t like it,” I said quietly.
He shook his head, never taking his eyes off the painting. “No, Jenna, I do. I love it. It’s… it’s incredible.”
I smiled. “Really?”
He scoffed. “Yeah, really. You are so talented it’s ridiculous. And this… this is me?” He looked up at me then, his eyes latching on mine and recovering my heart from the ground. “This is how you see me?”
“Yeah. When you’re fighting, Kellen, it’s so… I don’t know. Powerful. It’s like me in this dress, I guess. It’s so you. ”
“Wow.” He looked at the painting again. “Thank you.”
I beamed at him. “You’re welcome.”
What I’d put on that canvas was what I’d seen that first time I watched him fight. I’d seen him do it countless times since then, going to his matches whenever dad could sneak me away, but that first time had always stuck with me. So I put it out there in an image of a man standing tall, looking down at me from the center of the ring. A light was shining behind his head, shadowing his face into near obscurity, but the eyes were there. The dark, intense eyes that were always watching. Always focused. The gloves, the shorts, the ropes behind him, they were all bursts of vibrant colors but his entire body was blurred. It was shaking, vibrating with power and energy. With life dying to explode out of him through the brightly colored gloves or the muted red shoes at his feet. He was stationary but the entire image was bursting with energy. With strength.
With Kellen.
“Shit, I can’t take it home on my bike,” he muttered, still looking at it.
I shrugged. “That’s okay. I’ll put it back in the house and Laney can bring it up to you the next time she visits.”
“Do we trust her with it?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Good point. I’ll mail it to you.”
He nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”
I turned to head back into the house. When I got to the door, he called out to me.
“Hey. Seriously, Jenna, thank you for that. I’ve never—I don’t know what to say. It’s probably the best present I’ve ever gotten in my life.”
I chuckled, feeling embarrassed. “Don’t go overboard.”
“I can’t, not about that. I’ll never—I… Thank you. I’ll never be able to tell you how much I love it.”
“Well, you’ve got your whole life to try.”
Dad came outside to join us not long after that. We all waited patiently for Laney and mom and when they finally appeared, the guys whistled appreciatively. They looked beautiful. Both of them with perfectly coifed golden hair, long fitted dresses that hugged their every curve and the kind of confidence in high heels that I’d never manage to achieve. They were red carpet perfect and even though I felt a little out of place in my red dress standing beside their cream and gold, I was happy.
“Do you like my dress?” Laney asked Kellen at dinner.
He nodded. “I do. You look beautiful.”
“It’s my Prom dress,” she
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